Since 1991, Arlington EATS has worked to engage the community in eliminating food insecurity and hunger in Arlington, MA. Shaw’s has supported this nonprofit organization through its GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program.
Tell us about Arlington EATS.
The mission of Arlington EATS is to eliminate food insecurity and hunger in Arlington, Massachusetts. To do this, we have a number of different programs to reach folks who are food insecure or on the verge of being food insecure. Maybe it’s a medical issue, a family change, or a job loss that is forcing them to choose between paying rent and lessening their grocery bills.
Food is usually the first thing that goes. We can always tighten our wallet around less groceries, but you can’t stop paying rent. Often, we are one of the first social service agencies that someone who is struggling will reach out to.
What services do you provide to the community?
We have a number of different programs. Our largest program is the Market. It is a traditional food pantry, yet it’s not traditional at all. The Market is a full-choice pantry. On the perimeter, you’ll find pantry staples like pasta, beans, peanut butter, and cereal.
In the center of the Market, we have a huge produce island. Guests can come and grab fresh produce. When someone is looking to save money while shopping, the healthier items on the outside of the store are the first to go since they are the most expensive. We try to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, eggs, and meats. We want families to have a wide variety of things to pick from.
Families will take between 30 and 50 pounds of food home from the Market. When it’s priced out, it values about $150 worth of food that people can get every single week at Arlington EATS. These savings can then be put toward something else, such as helping families buy school supplies for their kids or pay their rent and utilities.
We also do a home delivery program for individuals who are medically frail and can’t make it to the Market. We have volunteers who take their orders, another set of volunteers who pack their customized orders, and one last group of volunteers who deliver directly to people’s homes.
Our Fresh Bucks program is a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) match program at the Arlington Farmers’ Market. Through this program, you can use your SNAP dollars at the Arlington Farmers’ Market and get an additional $15 to use at many of the vendors at the farmers’ market. The state of Massachusetts also has a Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), which lets people get money back when they use their SNAP dollars at a farmers’ market or farm stand. We are also helping people understand this other benefit that they often don’t realize they have.
Lastly, we have programs for kids. We provide snacks in all the local schools to ensure that hunger is not a barrier to learning. Since kids are missing out on breakfast and lunch during long breaks from school, we also have a school vacation lunch program. We used to have sit-down meals in the cafeteria, but after the pandemic, families have preferred to pick up groceries of kid-friendly foods instead.
What sets Arlington EATS apart from other nonprofits in your community?
One thing that sets us apart is how we think about the issue of food insecurity. We’ve learned from our guests that many stigmas surround coming to a food pantry.
We are so proud of our beautiful building, which we moved into about a year and a half ago. It is well-lit and stocked with lots of fresh produce. Yet, even in our beautiful building, where we try to reduce stigma as much as possible, people may still feel uncomfortable.
Because of this, we try to do things like Fresh Bucks, where you can go to the farmers’ market and shop with your neighbors. No one knows that you’re using Fresh Bucks. We try to find and embrace innovative ways of reaching those who are struggling with food insecurity.
We try to find and embrace innovative ways of reaching those who are struggling with food insecurity.
Tell us a story that illustrates the good work of your organization.
When we opened our new building, we brought in a number of social service providers to see the space. When they refer someone to us, we want them to know what they are referring people to.
One of the social workers, who we’ve worked with for many years, came into the space and said, “When someone comes into your space, they can’t help but feel good.”
This comment showed us that we really met our goal. We wanted the building to be a place people felt comfortable coming to. It feels like a little grocery store where you can pick your own food and get what your family wants.
We wanted the building to be a place people felt comfortable coming to.
I’m proud that we’ve created this dignified space for people to get food so that during the 20 minutes that they are shopping, they can forget the rest of their stresses and enjoy getting their food.
What is your most outstanding achievement or contribution to the community?
It’s been amazing that Arlington EATS is also a place where the community is getting involved in this work. Part of our mission is to engage the community in the work we do. People have donated to our operating support and the capital campaign to help us get the building. We have 700 volunteers who help out with our services. On any given week, we have about 120 volunteer shifts.
It’s beautiful how the community is so engaged in what we’re trying to do. It’s also necessary because we have six people on staff. We are serving almost 500 families a week, so we definitely need the community’s help! Our best achievement is our ability to get people involved in lots of different ways.
Our best achievement is our ability to get people involved in lots of different ways.
What do you want people to know about Arlington EATS?
It’s easy to look at the pretty affluent housing prices in a place like Arlington and say that there are not any needs in our community, but there are. I challenge people, wherever they live, to realize that they have neighbors who may need additional help and assistance. It might not look like what you think. It could be folks who are on the street asking for money, or it could be a family experiencing a job loss or medical crisis.
It doesn’t matter how wealthy or what the medium income is for your town; neighbors need each other. Food insecurity is pervasive in our country, but there are ways we can all contribute to making sure everyone has access to the food they need.
How will you use the funds you’ve received from the Shaw’s GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program?
We are always grateful for how we work with other organizations. We have been able to use the money to directly purchase food. While we get food that has been rescued or donated from places like the Greater Boston Food Bank, we still have to spend money to purchase additional items. In our budget, we have around $1.2 million every year, $400,000 of which we spend on food. This support makes sure we can stock the shelves with the nutritious food families want and need.
Interview with Andi Doane, Executive Director
Published October 2, 2024.